Jackson Reid
Golf is a sport that has been played at the Olympic Games and in other major tournaments, such as the U.S. Open. Typically, a golf tournament consists of four rounds of 18 holes each, totaling 72 holes. In this individual stroke-play format, players are positioned on a leaderboard according to their score relative to par, and the winner is the player with the fewest total strokes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of rounds in Olympic Golf | 4 rounds of 18 holes each, totalling 72 holes |
| Number of players | 60 |
| Clubs allowed per bag | 14 |
| Lowest score for 18 holes in relation to par | 9 under (63) |
| Lowest score for 36 holes | 130 |
| Lowest score for 54 holes | 199 |
| Lowest score for 72 holes | 268 |
| Most strokes under par for 72 holes | 16 under |
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What You'll Learn
Golf rounds in the Olympics
Golf is played over four rounds in the Olympics, with each round consisting of 18 holes, for a total of 72 holes. The men's and women's tournaments each consist of 60 players, and there is no cut after 36 holes, meaning all players progress to the final two rounds. The winner is the player who completes 72 holes in the fewest strokes.
Golf at the Olympic Games follows an individual stroke-play format, similar to events on the PGA and LPGA tours, as well as major championships. Players are ranked on the leaderboard according to their score relative to par. In the event of a tie, a sudden-death playoff will determine the winner, or the silver and bronze medalists if necessary.
Players may carry a maximum of 14 golf clubs in their bag during a round and may swap them out between rounds or if a club is damaged through no fault of their own. A caddie may accompany a player on the course, carrying their clubs and providing assistance with strategy, yardage, reading greens, and club selection.
Golf was featured in the 1900 and 1904 Olympic Games but was then removed. It returned in 2016 at the Rio Games and has been included in the 2020 Tokyo Games, the 2024 Paris Games, and will be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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Rules for club selection
Golfers are limited to carrying 14 clubs in their bag during a round. This rule applies to all types of play, from amateur events to professional tournaments. The purpose of this rule is to enhance the sport's strategic depth and fairness. It prevents wealthier players from gaining an advantage by using a wide array of specialised clubs, which may not be accessible to everyone.
When selecting clubs, golfers must consider the course layout, weather conditions, and their playing style. Wet conditions might favour clubs with more loft to prevent the ball from getting stuck in the turf, while windy conditions might require heavier clubs for greater stability.
Golfers can start with a basic set of clubs, including a driver, putter, and irons such as a PW, 9 iron, 8 iron, 7 iron, and 6 iron. These clubs are more forgiving and ideal for beginners. As players become more advanced, they can consider having their clubs professionally fitted to match their body size and swing style.
Clubs must conform to the Equipment Rules, which cover the composition of the clubs and how they are assembled. It is important to note that clubs cannot be adjusted during a round to alter their performance characteristics. For example, golfers cannot adjust the loft or apply lead tape to their putter mid-round.
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Lowest 18-hole scores
Golf is played over a set of rounds, with the winner being the player who records the fewest total strokes to complete all holes. In the Olympics, for example, both the men's and women's tournaments are comprised of four 18-hole rounds, for a total of 72 holes.
In professional golf, a round of 59 or less is considered a significant achievement. The lowest officially recorded round of golf is 55, scored by Rhein Gibson in 2012 at River Oaks Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma. This round included 12 birdies, two eagles, and was played on a par-71 course. Three other rounds of 55 have been documented but are often discounted due to the nature of the round or the length of the course.
The lowest 18-hole score on the PGA Tour is 58, achieved by Jim Furyk during the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship. Furyk's round was played on a course with a par of 70, and he had a chance to score 57 on the final green. Furyk is the only golfer with two sub-60 rounds in PGA Tour history, having also shot a 59.
An 18-hole score of 59 has been achieved nine times in PGA Tour history. Al Geiberger became the first golfer to shoot 59 during the second round of the 1977 Memphis Classic (now the FedEx St. Jude Classic). He won the tournament and is the only golfer in the modern era of the PGA Tour to win without a round in the 60s. Other golfers to have shot 59 include Duval, Appleby, Thomas, Snedeker, Beck, Goydos, and Hadwin.
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Lowest 72-hole scores
Golf tournaments are typically made up of four rounds of 18 holes each, for a total of 72 holes. The player who completes the 72 holes in the fewest strokes wins the tournament.
In January 2025, Hideki Matsuyama set a new PGA Tour record for the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par. At the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Matsuyama carded a four-round total of 35-under 257, finishing three strokes ahead of second-placed Collin Morikawa. This was the lowest score in relation to par for a 72-hole PGA Tour event, surpassing the previous record of 34-under, set by Cameron Smith in 2022. Smith's record-breaking performance had seen him beat world number one Jon Rahm by a single shot, with Rahm finishing at 33-under.
Matsuyama's record-setting performance included rounds of 65-65-62-65, with 33 birdies and two eagles. His only dropped shot across the final 59 holes came at the par-four seventh. With this win, Matsuyama claimed the top prize of $3.6 million and rose to number five in the world rankings.
Prior to Matsuyama's achievement, the three lowest 72-hole totals had been recorded at the same venue in 2022, with Smith, Rahm, and Matt Jones all taking advantage of the course's wide fairways and pure greens to set impressive benchmarks.
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Sudden-death playoffs
A sudden-death playoff is a format used to determine a winner in golf tournaments when two or more players finish the final round with the same score. In a sudden-death playoff, the tied participants play one extra hole at a time, and the player with the lowest score moves on to the next hole until a winner is determined. This format is used in both stroke play and match play tournaments, with stroke play being the most common.
The sudden-death format can be used in a variety of ways depending on the tournament. For example, in the men's U.S. Open, a two-hole aggregate playoff is used, where the lowest cumulative score in a series of holes is considered. In the Open Championship, a four-hole playoff is used, while the PGA Championship uses a three-hole playoff. The Masters Tournament also adopted a sudden-death playoff in 1979, after previously using an 18-hole format.
The advantage of a sudden-death playoff is that it provides a quick and exciting conclusion to a tournament, as the game continues until a player wins a hole. However, some golfers argue that it is not the fairest way of deciding a winner, as one bad shot can eliminate all chances of winning. The aggregate playoff, which is considered the oldest playoff format, is seen as a fairer alternative, as it takes into account the cumulative score over a series of holes, usually three, four, or eighteen.
There have been several notable sudden-death playoffs in golf history. The longest sudden-death playoff on any men's professional tour was the 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament, where it took Peter Thomson 14 holes to defeat his competitors. More recently, in the 2021 Travelers Championship, Harris English and Kramer Hickok faced off in an eight-hole sudden-death playoff, with English ultimately claiming victory.
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Frequently asked questions
In golf tournaments, there are typically four rounds of 18 holes each, totalling 72 holes.
Similar to regular golf tournaments, Olympic golf also consists of four rounds of 18 holes each.
The U.S. Open golf typically consists of four rounds of 18 holes each. However, in the event of a tie, there used to be an additional 18-hole playoff round, and if the tie persisted, a sudden-death playoff on the 91st hole. Since 2018, a two-hole aggregate playoff format has been adopted, with sudden death as a tiebreaker.
